A Very Large Sale Of Wool
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Friday, July 9, 1847: Today I took my two horse pleasure wagon and my wife with me and Sarah, we went to Pittsfield. Sarah stopped to brother F.J. Wylie’s and we went on to Dalton to Mr. Daniel Kites and took dinner and then said Kites paid me half a ream of paper, he called it worth one dollar and 50 cents. Then I and my wife went on to Windsor to Samuel Minor’s and stayed tonight and I paid said Minor twenty four dollars, which is four years interest on a one hundred dollars note and I paid Ruth Minor twelve dollars, which is four years interest on a fifty dollar note. Quite hot weather.
Saturday: Today I and my wife started from Windsor for home at eight o’clock this morning. we stopped in Pittsfield and took dinner to F. J. Wylie’s, and I called to T. Roberts Hat Shop and got trusted for a fur hat, three dollars and fifty cents, and agreed to pay in barter or produce. I called to E. Hughes and paid him one dollar cash which is to pay him for the Philanthropist that Joseph Lord and Erastus Rowley paid me for. We started from Pittsfield from F. Jay Wylie’s at three o’clock and Sarah with us for home and we called to Lebanon Shakers and took tea at the Church family where my two cousin Potter girls live, by the name of Ellen and Addisilla Potter, and I paid 25 cts for Sarah a small work basket.
Friday, July 16: Today when I was to work on my Rodgers farm a man by the name of Marks from Canaan came and carried me home and he looked over my wool and sorted it into two qualities, the first quality 159 fleeces at 40 cents per and the coarse at 35 cents per, 44 fleeces. The wool is what I raised last year and this year and said Marks paid me forty dollars to bind the bargain and the remainder he agreed that I should be paid next week when I delivered the wool to Pittsfield Pontoosuc Factory, and today we all five of us worked haying on my Rodgers farm.
Saturday: Today I worked on my Rodgers farm. Towards night I took my two wheel carriage and carried my wife to brother Samuel Beers and stayed tonight. We found sister Eleanor quite out of health and lame and her feet quite painful, dropsical and ran with water.
Monday: Today we loaded our wool, the two years sheering for market.
Tuesday: Today I carried my wool to Pittsfield to Pontoosic Factory which was one hundred and fifty one fleeces, weight 444 pounds at 40 cents of the fine and 44 fleeces one hundred and forty nine pounds of the course at 35 cents per which makes 229 dol and 75 cts, and forty dollars said Marks paid when bargained for the wool, and I took a check and got one hundred eighty nine dollars and 75 cents out of the bank.